Growing Up
by StoriesOfANobody
Summary: A series of short one-shots about Grojband and the Newmans growing up.
1. Grojbabies

A/N: Sup, guys? So this collection of one-shots will help fill in some blanks between my stories (yea, they're kind of connected), and it's also an outlet for all my ideas that're way too short to make into a story.

Note: The twins won't show up until later because in my mind they moved to Peaceville when they were about seven.

Anyway, read on...

* * *

Laney wobbled to her feet, watching a year and a half old Corey walk almost effortlessly towards the tiny, blue haired lump in a nearby cradle.

Lenny looked up from his fixation with the fishes on the wall to see his little sister using the miniature, plastic chair for support as she stood. Deciding to show his sister how to walk (he'd learned a week ago), Lenny crawled over and yanked on her dress. Laney pushed him away. He just frowned, tugging her dress again. She fell beside him and went to pull his short, red hair.

Lenny had already stood up, stumbling towards the couch about three feet away. They vaguely heard someone shouting in excitement, but Laney was much to busy trying to do what Corey and Lenny were doing: walking.

She was so influenced by trying to best the older boys, Laney managed to stand and walk a few steps before falling. Corey had abandon the strange new thing, bumbling over to help his best friend who was now crying. Lenny sat beside her with a expression that said, "Why is she crying?"

"Up," Corey insisted, grabbing Laney's hand and trying to pull her to her feet. Lenny got the idea. He push against her back until she was standing.

Lenny babbled to Corey. His best friend nodded.

Corey and Lenny each took a hand and led Laney. Giggling, they stumbled to the crib that held the five month old, blue haired girl. The siblings' eyes got wide when the baby looked at them curiously.

"Who?" Lenny mumbled with a little trouble. Corey frown as if he was thinking hard. What was it that the adults had called it?

"Carr-wee," he said, and smiled at his accomplishment. Laney stared at this 'Carr-wee', wondering why it was so tiny. She glanced to her brother, who was reaching through the wooden bars to touch the girl's hand.

Suddenly engulfed in a parade of hugs from their parents, they peered down at the infant. Lenny concluded right then that no matter what, he was going to learn more about this thing in the crib. Later though. Right now he was much more interested in the attention he and his sister were getting.

Corey was still on the floor, watching Carrie make strange sounds of contentment. He stuck his arm in the crib like Lenny did and brushed against her little hand. The baby grabbed his hand.

For a moment, Corey was amazed. The thing was intelligible after all. He thought maybe they could play together, all four of them. Maybe they could teach her to walk.

Then Carrie bit his hand with gummed teeth. Corey jerked back in disgust. He suddenly disliked the idea of her walking with them, much less playing alongside him. The baby was still interesting, but he would never put his hand in there again. Ever.

Lenny was sat back down beside him. Corey turned to his best friend as he showed off his hand.

"It bad!" Corey declared as he pointed towards the crib. Lenny shook his head, sticking his hand back into the cradle for example. Carrie took his thumb, and sat up. Babbling happily, she gave his hand a light tug that made Lenny laugh.

Corey pushed his friend over, jealous that the baby liked him more. Carrie started to cry, causing a flock of parents to fly over. Much to the disappointment of the children, the adults decided it was naptime.


	2. Junior Fireman Reporting For Duty

Lenny was astonished at the size of the fire truck in front of him. To the little five year old, it was huge. He reached out to touch it, but his father picked him up.

"No, bud, don't touch the truck," the man said kindly. Lenny managed a nod, still awestruck. It was so bright and shiny. He had to remind himself not to reach for it.

"Felix, good to see you!" Lenny turned towards the voice. A partially suited fireman stood within a few feet of them. His face had smudges of soot, as if he had just been fighting a fire. His curly hair had flecks of ash.

Lenny's father shook the fireman's hand after setting his son down.

"Chief Leo of the Peaceville firefighter squad. Doing well, I hope," Felix said. The fireman, apparently his name was Leo, nodded. He suddenly spied Lenny hiding behind his father.

"Well, well, who's this little fellow?" Leo chuckled, crouching down. Lenny was instantly at a lost for words. Felix pulled him around front.

"This is my son Lenny," He announced. Lenny hide his face behind his hands.

"Hey, it's alright, little dude. Say…How would you like a tour of the place?" Leo offered. Lenny slowly looked up at the firefighter. He was smiling.

"Yes, please," the red head answered softly. Leo looked at Felix for approval.

"Alright, but hurry back or we'll be late for your play date," He said. Lenny nodded, letting go of his father's hand and grabbing the fireman's calloused one. They waved at his dad on the way out of the room.

Their first stop was the sleeping quarters, where several men were napping. Lenny, who had just gotten out of taking naps, looked on in disbelief. He wondered if you had to take naps when you were a firefighter. At least the room still looked cool. It even had a fire pole leading down to the trucks.

"Why are they napping?" Lenny asked quietly. Leo smiled down at him.

"We fight fires and work hard all day. Sometimes we even have to stay overnight. Most of us get really sleepy, but we can't go home yet. So we have places to sleep," He explained in a whisper. Lenny nodded, though he still didn't like the idea of napping. The staying up all night part sounded cool.

The kitchen was next, filled with two tables, about twenty chairs, a refrigerator, and three stoves.

"This is our kitchen and where we have meetings. Oh, hold on." Nobody was cooking anything, but Leo check that the stoves were off. Lenny frowned.

"Did someone leave them on?" He said. Leo shook his head satisfied.

"No, but that's one of the main causes of a fire. Always make sure your stove is off before you leave the room."

Lenny stood on his tiptoes and stared intently at the stove. He raised a hand a good foot above the stove, slowly lowering it. Finally he smiled. "It's okay. They're off."

Leo laughed as they moved on. The communication room was small but it was stocked to the brim with telephones, blinking machines, and operators.

"This is where we answer the calls when people report fires," Leo told the amazed boy. One of the men looked over his shoulder to examine the chief and kid. He smiled as a greeting. Lenny shyly waved back.

They moved on, arriving in the chief's office. It wasn't much to look at, but in Lenny's eyes, it was perfect. Awards covered the walls, trophies were placed in a tall cabinet, and a Dalmatian lay sleeping next to the desk. The dog perked up as they neared the desk, and ran to greet his master.

"Happy, down!" Leo commanded as the dog went to tackle Lenny.

"You named your doggy Happy?" the redhead question. Leo faltered, looking embarrassed.

"It's a family thing," the fireman answered. Lenny decided to name his future dog Happy, too.

They walked to the training room. It was huge, the biggest room by far, and had a training course that just looked like a big playground to a five year old. While there, the two met up with Felix.

"Daddy!" Lenny cried excitedly, jumping into his father's arms. He proceeded to rapidly tell him everything they saw.

"..and they have a doggy!" the toddler finished. The adults chuckled. Felix placed his son on the floor, thanked his old friend, and shook hands.

"One last thing, Lenny," Leo said, placing a plastic fireman hat on the boy's head. Lenny's reaction was priceless. His eyes got big, and he dropped his dad's hand to hug the fire chief.

"Thank you," He said as Leo bent down. The chief ruffled Lenny's hair.

"Just…Remember not to start any fires while you're gone, kid. And, uh, don't do drugs," Leo told him awkwardly. Lenny saluted, even though he had no idea what drugs were.

"Son, come on. We're going to be late," Felix said. Lenny darted after him, waving to the firefighter as he left.

When they arrived at the park, Lenny shot out of the car and ran to his friend. As the five year old ran, his father heard him say, "Care, guess what! I'm gonna be a fireman with a doggy named Happy!"


	3. Overrated

A/N: Happy Valentines Day! I love every single one of you, no matter how lame it sounds. You guys are my people!

This one-shots specially dedicated to V-Day. It's not much, but I got it in my head and couldn't get it out.

Reviews are appreciated! Come on, it's Valentines Day. Show some love!

* * *

Corey liked Valentines Day. He got chocolate from his relatives and everybody was really happy and excited. Only, he didn't understand why everyone kissed. He knew people who loved each other kissed. He knew there were different kinds of love: the family kind, the romantic kind, and the friend kind.

Corey saw on the TV that the boy kissed his best friend on Valentines Day because he loved her. Did people kiss their friends on this special day only? Was there a rule somewhere that said so? Did the unspoken rule include him? These were just some of the questions rushing through the seven-year-old's head.

Upon his discovery of this apparently secret rule, he began to think. Corey knew he had a friend that was a girl. He knew he cared for her. Did this mean he would have to kiss her? It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was that he was not sure whether she would hate him afterward. Corey wondered what she would think of this rule.

"Mommy, I going to Laney's house!" Corey yelled, headed out the door already. His mother wouldn't mind. It was just next door.

Corey ran to her window, knocking impatiently. It was a recent thing he had picked up. The window was closer than the door and Laney didn't seem to mind. He was much too lazy to walk around the house to get to the door.

"Hey," Laney greeted him. He smiled and climbed inside.

"Hi, did you know about the secret Valentines Day rule?" Corey got right to the point. She shook her head slowly.

"No. What is it?"

"You have to kiss your friend. On the lips," Corey said, watching her eyes go wide. Laney glanced at him before blushing.

"That's…gross." Corey's face fell as she frowned. Neither of them wanted the other to be grossed out and possible not want to be friends, but at the same time they were curious about this strange ritual.

"But it's a rule. You have to, right?" Corey pondered, getting more confused by the second.

"I don't know. I've never heard of it," Laney admitted. He shrugged.

"Maybe it's only for bigger kids, like Nick or Trina."

"Maybe," she mumbled, still thinking. Being a big kid suddenly seemed gross but oddly intriguing. What would it be like to kiss Corey, she wondered silently.

"I don't know," Corey fumed, taking a seat in her beanbag chair. "I kinda want to be a big kid, but not if it involves kissing a lot."

Laney sat down next to him. "How do you know kissing is bad? It could be the bestest thing in the entire universe."

"'Cause girls are yucky. They have weird girl germs," Corey said, smiling at his own answer. Kin and Kon had told him that.

"I'm a girl and you don't think I'm yucky," Laney replied. She was slightly annoyed that he seemed to forget.

"Well, not you, Laney. You…you're a special not-so-germy girl," Corey answered, stumbling slightly through his words. Laney rolled her eyes.

"Gee, thanks. Boys are way grosser than girls anyway."

"Hey, I'm boy!"

"Exactly." Corey half-heartedly glared at her while she grinned innocently.

He huffed, shoving her lightly. "Boys aren't nearly as gross as girls."

"You're wrong, boys are worse," Laney insisted. Corey felt he needed to defend his gender. The boys were gross in some ways but girls were much grosser.

"Well, girls have cooties," Corey said. He looked over at her before moving farther away. Laney stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You've got to be kidding me. You're saying I have cooties and that by sitting next to me you'll get them?" she asked. He looked away nervously.

"I did not say that. I thought it, but I didn't say it."

"Girls do not have cooties. Even if I did, I bet you couldn't get them unless you kissed me," Laney said. Corey gave her a look.

"Are you serious? I could get them by looking at you funny! Why am I even in here? It's infested with cooties!" Corey gestured wildly to the area around him. Laney glanced around her room, and huffed.

"I'll prove I don't have cooties," she announced.

"How?" he asked, clearly skeptical. Laney thought about a way to prove him wrong. Her previous statement slapped her upside the head and she blushed. It was a way, though.

Before Laney could think through her next action anymore, she launched herself forward and planted a kiss right on Corey's lips. He let out a muffled yelp, his eyes going wide. The kiss ended as suddenly as it came, Laney being too scared of how he would react.

"Feel any different?" The red head prompted. She was oddly calm, having just kissed her best friend.

"Um…it kind of tickled," Corey answered stunned.

"See? There's so such thing as cooties." Laney stood up, walking towards her bathroom. He scrambled to stand up.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

Laney looked back at him, grinning mischievously. "To wash my lips of course. Boys are gross."

Corey fumed, mumbling quietly, "Whatever. Kissing is stupid."


	4. Rubber Band

Corey burst into the garage where his friends idly waited for him. He had called an important meeting today. Despite it raining cats and dogs outside, Laney, Kin, and Kon trudged over to see what their friend was so excited about. "What'd think he wants this time?" Kin asked no one in particular. The two other kids shrugged. Laney spotted a couple of shovels leaning against the wall. "Maybe he wants to dig an underground base. That would be awesome," she said, grinning at the thought. "No way, I hate being underground. It's freaky!" Kon protested. Kin placed a reassuring hand on his officially worried brother's shoulder. "It isn't an underground base. Probably," He said. Corey threw open the garage door and ducked inside. His clothes were soaked, but he didn't seem to notice. Where he stood soon turned into a puddle of slightly muddy water. Corey saw his friends shocked expressions and made a face. "What?" He looked down at his shirt. "Oh…Huh. Did you guys know it's raining?" Laney stood up, sighing as she walked closer to him. "First of all, yes. It has been raining for the past hour. And what's up with your beanie?" A new patch had been hastily sewed on his trusty orange hat. For a minute, Corey panicked. "Ah! What's wrong with my beanie?" He exclaimed, pulling it off to examine it. The skull patch stared up at him. "Oh, you meant the patch?" Laney nodded promptly. "That's part of my plan," Corey smiled. The gang held back a groan. Corey, no matter how gold his heart was, had disastrous ideas. Whether it was as simple as gluing toupees on bald people or feeding the some of the more dangerous zoo animals by hand, it always ended badly. Luckily there was very little harm involved. Most of the time. "Corey, we're your friends. We all love you, but your ideas aren't so great," Laney said lightly, the twins nodding in agreement. The older boy frowned for a spilt second. "Don't worry, this plan is not like the others." Corey glanced at his friends. "But I still think the shopping cart cat races would've been awesome if Laney hadn't stopped it." She fumed. Those kittens did nothing to deserve being strap in a spray painted shopping cart and pushed down a hill. "Anyway, as you all know, my favorite show is the Bubble Bots Band," Corey started. Kin raised his hand. "I thought Derek the Dino was your favorite," He said. Corey looked incredulous. "Kin, that show is for babies!" Kon glanced at his brother, tilting his head to one side like a puppy. "But that's our favorite show. Are we babies?" "No!" Corey cried determinedly. Kin and Kon smiled as they caught the tone of a good old pep talk. "Who are we?" They yelled. "We are men!" the blue haired boy shouted. "And a girl," Laney piped in. He nodded. "And we're gonna form a band!" "Ye- wait, what?" The occupants said. Kin scratched his head. "Like a rubber band? Cause I'm not sure that's legal here." Corey shook his head, "No, like a rock band!" "How can you make a band of rocks? They can't sing!" Kon argued. Laney thumped them on the back of the head. "He means a music group with us, knuckle heads." A wave of realization passed over them, and they broke into large grins. Laney looked pensive, then skeptical. "Corey, can you write the words for the songs?" Laney asked slowly. Corey frowned. "I don't know, Laney. I haven't really tried. But…that comes after we get instruments! To the music store!" With a valiant cry, he charged out of the garage and into the light rain. The three other kids waited for him to realize they weren't with him. "Um…guys? You're suppose to follow me," Corey said as he peered into the garage. Kin waved his arms around frantically. "But we can't play instruments! Well, except for you and Laney." "So? You'll learn how! Now, come on!" Corey shouted, tugging the twins after him. Laney sighed and followed after them, hoping this scheme of his wouldn't end in giant gummy bears attacking them. (Okay, pretend there's a line here.) A/N: Writing this in a copy-n-paste box about the size of my pinkie. I think fanfiction's or my computer's on the fritz. Anyway, there's the forming of Grojband. Really it wasn't that big of a deal. Next up, The Newmans form their band. Btw, if you lick the air, does it get wet? That question has been bugging me all week. 


End file.
